Pitchbox Interview: Roberto Goñi, screenwriter of “The Other Life”
Special Mention Madrid TV Pitchbox 2017
We talk to Roberto Goñi, creator of the TV series project “The Other Life”. He tells us how he decided to write a series about what lies between life and death, why the dramedy format is the best to tell this story and where he’s at with the project at the moment.
Brief Synopsis:
Pablo (35), has a car accident and enters a coma. In the hospital, his spirit separates from his body and becomes friends with another spirit from another patient, Leo (60). Whilst Pablo and Leo get to know each other and share their life experiences in their own limbo; their loved ones try to live with the situation as best they can. Mar (30), Leo’s daughter, will be especially affected by the situation, plus not having a great relationship with him. A month after the accident, Pablo wakes up from the coma and will have to try and fulfill a promise he made to Leo: to give, in his name, a significant amount of money to Mar. Pablo and Mar meeting will end up by changing their lives and the ones of their loved ones.
FMH: Tell us a little bit about yourself, why did you decide to become a filmmaker? Where did you study? How did you start your career in film?
R.G: I always liked to write, so I studied Journalism in Pamplona, where I’m from. But I soon realized that I enjoyed more fiction than reality. Adding to that that I’m a cinema lover, it was pretty logical that I became a screenwriter.
FMH: Do you have any other work in film, TV or advertisement? Can you show us/ tell us about your most noted work up until now?
R.G: I’ve worked on various Spanish TV shows as a screenwriter. Amongst them “Yo soy Bea” (Spanish version of Ugly Betty), “Bandolera” (period series), “Gran Reserva. El origen” (soap opera), “Ciega a Citas” (sit-com), “Amar es para siempre” (soap opera) and “Servir y Proteger”(police drama), where I’m working at the moment. I was also co-writer of the feature film “A year on the moon”, a tiny film, with which I am very pleased, directed by Antonio Gárate. I’ve also written and directed a few short films. The last one, “The wrong man”, was preselected for the Goyas 2013 and can be seen here:
FMH: Talk to us about The Other Life. How did the story come about? What is it about?
R.G: The idea comes from aging, and of realizing that one day you will die. Dust to dust and ashes to ashes, as it’s usually said. With these delightful ideas in mind, I could only write a comedy.
FMH: What was the writing process in a project like this?
R.G: I first wrote a feature. Though I liked it, I saw the format was leaving the story short of what it could be to explore the characters and the world I had created. I knew that this wasn’t a story for a TV series for a public TV channel, but that it could fit in one of the new formats that online platforms are producing and promoting. That’s why I wrote a half-hour series, which isn’t a sitcom. It would be a dramedy with a fantastical touch.
FMH: How long have you been working on this project?
R.G: As a TV show, around two and a half years.
FMH: At what stage are you with it at this moment? What do you need/are you looking for to further develop it?
R.G: After being a finalist at Madrid TV Pitchbox, receiving the Special Mention, I presented it at BCN Film Market, also organized by Filmarket Hub, where I was selected. There, I pitched it to various producers. A couple of them were pretty interested in the concept for the project, though, in the end, they didn’t get on board to produce it. In any case, that confirmed me that the project has potential, so I kept on shopping it around, without any results for now. Right now, I’ve got a pilot and a short bible for it. What I need is a production company which would want to get on board to further develop it, to then present it to broadcasters and online platforms.
FMH: What are you looking to explore with this project?
R.G: That life is for real, and it’s serious, so it’s better to live it centering over things that really matter. You know, carpe diem.
FMH: What do you think stands out most in the project?
R.G: It’s tone between drama and comedy. I think it’s its main virtue. Initially, it’s a bit difficult to visualize the project, but once you read the pilot, it’s evident what type of story this is. On the one hand, the everyday fantastical element differentiates the project a lot. To explain the series, I tend to say it’s like mixing a film by Cesc Gay or Alexander Payne, where, 30 minutes into the movie, there’s a supernatural happening.
FMH: Had you shopped it around before uploading it to Filmarket Hub? How did it go?
R.G: I only presented it to one production company. In reality, the selection at Filmarket Hub is what more doors opened to the project.
FMH: What made you apply to Madrid TV Pitchbox?
R.G: The chance to present the project to production companies, TV channels and the most important online platforms in the country.
QUICK QUESTIONNAIRE
Three favorite screenwriters:
- Vince Gilligan
- Samson Raphaelson
- Woody Allen
Three favorite screenwriting books:
- “On film making” (Alexander Mackendrick)
- “Práctica del guion cinematográfico” (Jean-Claude Carriere, Pascal Bonitzer)
- The show Backstory
Three favorite directors:
- John Ford
- Jean Pierre Melville
- Michael Powell
Three favorite films:
- Seven Women (John Ford, 1966)
- I know where I’m going (Powell & Pressburger, 1945)
- Sweet smell of Success (Alexander Mackendrick, 1957)
